What If
by fereality
Summary: What if... it's 2018 and Wendy Corduroy is 21. She's still working at the Shack for the summer. After missing the previous summer due to his parents planning a family vacation before the twins head to college, Dipper walks into the Shack. Based on a tumblr RP between myself (as Dipper) and aflippincorduroy (as Wendy).


Saturday June 9th, 2018  
9:05 am

Wendy Corduroy's still working at the Shack for the summer. She's stocking some of the new merchandise that Soos has added to take advantage of the remodeling he has done. It's before opening hours when she hears the bell over the door ring. From her crouched position she was first able to see a pair of worn combat boots, then some faded jeans, a blue flannel shirt over a black a-shirt, mop of shaggy brown hair, and finally a familiar ushanka hat. And the face seems familiar.

Dipper set his backpack & suitcase down next to the stores counter. He walked towards the in towards the new displays looking around (but apparently not seeing Wendy crouched by the far shelving unit).

"Man, things sure have changed. But it has been two years. I guess Soos really has been doing great. I hope he remembered that I wanted this to be a surprise."

Almost hitting her head as she jumped a bit from the sudden sound of the new – old? – voice, Wendy placed the last of the merchandise on the shelves before standing up. She turned to look at the newcomer, and was absolutely floored by what she saw.

It was incredible what a couple of years could do to a person, especially since she didn't feel as though she had changed that much herself.

"H-Hey, dude." Wendy cleared her throat, giving him a wave whilst simultaneously readjusting the pine tree hat on her head, "Um… yeah, _big_ surprise."

Hearing the voice off to his side Dipper froze. It's not that it was an unwelcome voice, far from it. It was the voice he missed the most from his adopted home. The one that has haunted him since his parents told him and Mabel that they had planned a family vacation before college started, so the twins couldn't go to Gravity Falls last year.

He had hoped go be able to get his stuff up in the old room and maybe freshen up a bit before she came into work.

He turned to face her and had to catch his breath. She was still as beautiful as he remembered, maybe even more so. He subconsciously adjusted his flannel and fidgeted with the chain he keeps his keys on.

Just seeing her had him feeling as nervous as he had when he was 12. Of course they were just friends and to be honest he wouldn't risk that for almost anything. Heck, it's been two years since he last saw her & he still considered her to be his best friend. Besides with the way she looks and as sweet as she is she's probably got dates lined up. He'll be lucky if she has time to do movie nights anymore.

Finally he found his voice and said, "Hey Wendy. Long time, no see."

Though Wendy outwardly appeared as though she had everything together, she was anything but on the inside. Thankfully, she was a master at playing it cool while her mind ran wild.

Crossing her arms, she offered a crooked smile his way, "It's been a bit, hasn't it?"

She would be lying if she said she didn't miss Dipper and Mabel a _lot_– she thought about them just about every day at that point. With her own friend group growing further and further apart, she found herself thinking about them even more. Not to mention, she had also been saving up her money for a road trip out of Gravity Falls in hopes of visiting California. Though, it seemed as though fortune had finally blessed her.

"How've you been, dude?" Wendy asked as she walked over to her post and leaned against the counter, crossing her arms.

"Well I'm, uhm," Dipper said as he reached up and rubbed the back back of his neck, "I'm doing pretty good. School's been hectic, I kinda wish I hadn't taken my College Credit classes. Pulling a double major has got me busy as all get out."

Dipper walked over to his back and bent down. While he was rummaging through his bag he continued, "I got swamped and I'm sorry I wasn't able to call. Heck I was barely able to see Mabel. Not that she noticed, she ran into Pacifica at school and apparently they started dating. Most of the time she's only at our apartment to sleep."

Wendy nodded, "Yeah, jeez… I can only imagine. That sounds rough, but you don't gotta apologize for that. I totally get it."

A smile crossed her face, "But Mabel and Pacifica, eh? That's pretty sweet."

There was certainly something about those two that had always seemed a little different from Mabel's friendships with other girls. Of course, Wendy realistically hadn't spent that much time prying into her friend's personal business, but she was pretty good at judging whether or not two people were going to end up something _more_ or not.

"Ah ha, there it is." He pulled out a wrapped gift about the size of a hard cover book. Standing up he walked over to Wendy, "Here, I brought you a gift as sort of an apology for not being able to call."

When she opens it she finds a 6 inch milk chocolate ax and some dark chocolate dipped pretzel rods made to look like little logs

As the gift was placed in Wendy's hands, her eyes widened ever so slightly and her smile softened as she looked at Dipper. "Aw, man. You shouldn't have."

After she unwrapped it and saw what it was, she leaned forward to playfully punch Dipper's shoulder, "Dude! Seriously, you shouldn't have, but I'm totally not complaining. This is awesome! Thanks, man."

"Ow, you're welcome." Dipper teased as he jokingly rubbed his shoulder. "Glad you liked it. There's a little candy shop on campus that does custom orders. A real old school place, they even make hard candies there in the shop. Mabel discovered it when we did the incoming students tour last year."

He walked back towards his bags as he continued, "Well I'm glad you feel that way, but I still feel like I do. You're my best friend and it feels like I did a piss poor job of keeping in touch. Sorry."

And that much was true, she was his best friend. Sure he's made some more friends since that first summer. Joining the track team had helped. Heh, who knew that all that running that first summer would help him in school. And it certainly didn't hurt him physically.

"Seriously, dude, don't sweat it." Wendy reiterated, "Life happens, and if there's one thing I've learned, it's that if people are really your friend, they'll understand if stuff comes up."

Dipper was back and that was all Wendy cared about. She wanted to spend as much time as possible with him, to make up for all that lost time and make new memories together. In a town like Gravity Falls, the same routine day in and day out got quite boring, as did the people. So, she hardly cared about his absence from what little connection they had; she knew that there hadn't been any malicious intent behind it.

Grabbing his bags he said, "Look, l know the Shack is gonna open soon and I've been driving since last night. I'm gonna go ahead and run up to take a nap. Maybe after your shift is over you'd want to go hit Yumberjack or Hermano's and catch up some more?"

Nodding, Wendy made her way back around the counter and sat down. "Hey, man, that sounds great to me! I'll be here, like usual." She said, "Get some sleep though, yeah? That drive couldn't have been fun."

With a smile Dipper headed up towards the attic room he's inhabited nearly every summer for the last 6 years. He quickly put up the clothes brought in his two pieces of luggage he had brought in. He could get the rest out of his microbus when he gets up. He grabbed a pair of track shorts and headed to the shower to get rid of some of the road funk.

Getting out of the shower, he dried off quickly slid on the shorts. He paused at the mirror as he noticed the three faint lines that are all that is left of the scar he got 3 years ago when the Shifter got loose. Mabel said that while he was laid up Wendy had only left his side when the Stans went to make sure it would never get loose again. Mabel said they apparently encased one of the cryogenic capsules in pit and filled it with cement. But all he really knows is that Wendy and Mabel were there when he woke up.

Snapping out of those thoughts he headed back to his room and set his alarm so he would get around 4 hours of sleep. That much shouldn't mess with his sleep schedule too much.

Meanwhile

Wow. That had been a _lot_.

Sitting behind the counter, Wendy pulled out one of the old magazines from her little collection and placed it in front of her. For a few moments, she just sat there with her hands on the worn cover, index finger and thumb toying with the corner of the page.

Coming into work was never fun, it was more of a necessity, even though she liked who she worked with. Still, she would prefer to get out there and see the world. However, today was different; it had been one of the rare times that she actually _enjoyed_ being there.

Plus, the promise of catching up over good grub with Dipper was a great motivator.

_Dipper._

Wendy thought about him a lot those days, thought about their past and everything they had been through together. With all the changes and lack of constants in her life, it was nice to have one thing that never changed. Her friendship with Dipper was that one thing, and she was grateful for it.

She couldn't wait until the end of her shift.

Later

The sudden sound Lovegod's "You, Me, & Pie" woke Dipper from his nap. Quickly he shut off the song. It annoyed him to no end, the vocals clashed with the instrumentals, the lyrics clashed with the rhythm, and overall it made no sense. That made it the perfect song to wake up to. He tossed on some shorts, a sleeveless red tee, and tied his blue flannel around his waist. After he got his boots on he slipped down the stairs and out the family entrance.

He headed around towards the parking and walked over to his WV Überkreuzung Microbus. After he turned off the alarm Ford and McGuket installed, he opened up the side door. Leaning in he pulled out large ruck pack and a foot locker style chest.

"Dood, is that you?" He heard Soos say from behind him.

"Yeah man, it's me." Dipper said as he turned around and gave the current Mr Mystery a huge hug.

"Dood, sorry I wasn't here to meet you this morning. I had to drop off Antonio and María off with Abuelita." Soos said as he grabbed the chest before Dipper could protest.

"How are my lil god-children doing?" Dipper asked as he grabbed his ruck pack and shut the door. Making sure he reset the alarm, he followed Soos back to the Shack.

"Well Antonio starts Kindergarten this fall. He's a smart pequeñin, as Abuelita likes to say. And lil María Susana has begun to walk, luckily Antonio is there to help Abuelita." Soos said as he made it up to the porch. He set the chest down on the porch, next to the steps before he climbed them. "What do you have in here? Boulders?"

"Nah, some clothes and some books to read later. You grabbed it so I left my two wheel dolly in the microbus." Dipper said with a smile to let his friend know he was joking. "There's also a couple of picture books for Antonio and a couple of toys for Maria. I have brought up the fact that you guys literally named your daughter Mary Sue before right?"

"I know, but we named her after our mothers. It must have been fate." Soos said with a chuckle.

"She is gonna be so sick of that by the time she's a teen." Dipper said as he placed a hand on Soos's shoulder. "Hey. You aren't going to need Wendy to stay over any after her shift, are you? We're thinking about going to get something to eat."

"Dood, you finally got the nerve to ask her out." Soos said as he lightly slugged Dipper.

"Nah, I wish. We're just gonna be shooting the breeze and catching up." Dipper said as he turned to head on in.

"Don't worry Dip, I've got your back." Soos said as he hefted up the chest. Once Dipper got the door open he went inside with Dipper following.

Inside

Much like always, the work day went without a hitch. A few tourists came in here and there, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. After years at the same old job, she didn't stress about that kind of thing, though, it wasn't like she did in the first place.

Work – as boring as it was – was also a safe haven, a break from her crazy family cabin and a way for her to get out and flex her independence. She was still living with her family, as did most of the younger residents of Gravity Falls. When you didn't have the means to get out of town, it was easier to just stay where you were than to find a new place. Plus, she had better things to save her money for.

Soos took the chest to the end of the counter and set it down. "Hey Wendy dood, why don't you help Dipper get this chest upstairs."

Dipper saw Soos look around and so he did the same. There wasn't a single customer in the Shack.

"And even though we're so busy, why don't you take a half day. Dip hasn't been in town for a couple years, show him some of new sights." Soos said with a wink to Dipper.

Looking up from a magazine about the great outdoors, Wendy looked from Soos to the chest. She had heard them come in, but was busy reading a thrilling article about the best bait for fishing. Though, she had also been biding her time, trying to wait for an 'in' to the conversation. Though, it seemed as though Soos had been kind enough to give it to her, as well as offering to let her off early.

"I'd never say 'no' to that, bossman." Wendy smiled and leaned down to put the magazine back in its rightful place.

Then, standing up, she picked up the chest and hoisted it over her shoulder without any problem, despite its size. "You ready to go after we get this stuff upstairs, dude?" Wendy turned to look at Dipper while she made her way out of the store, figuring he would follow behind her.

Dipper stood there dumbstruck for a moment, watching her head towards the stairway.

Soos reached over to jokingly close Dipper's mouth and said, "The longer you stare dood, the harder it will be to convince people that you're happy just being friends."

"Yeah, yeah. If that's all she want, well friends is perfectly fine with me." Dipper said as finally started to follow her.

As Dipper started up the stairs Soos pulled out a small notebook labeled fan fiction, "This is going pretty close to how I wrote it."

The jaunt up the stairs wasn't a long or even a mildly strenuous one, but Wendy still felt a sense of satisfaction when she made it to the top. Most people wouldn't expect her to have much strength at all upon first glance, but she had built up a substantial amount of muscle with all the training she had done over the years.

Dipper made it upstairs and found Wendy outside his room. Opening the door he said, "Thanks. Just set it down next to the closet."

Walking into Dipper's room, Wendy placed the chest down next to the closet as per his request. Then, standing up once more, she brushed some of her long locks over her shoulder.

"That good?" She asked with a smile, "Need anything else?"

"Perfect." Dipper said as he watched her brush her hair aside.

He walked over and crouched down to open up the chest. Reaching in he pulled out a few books the size of an old encyclopedia volume; Dr Crackpot's Book Of The Damned, Venkman's Guide To The Paranormal, Oddities Of The Pacific Northwest, Tales From The Lumberjack Games, and a couple others.

He walked and put them on the top of the room's dresser drawers. "Just to spend some time with my best friend. So I know it's too early to get dinner. Do you want to show me those 'New sights in town' that Soos mentioned or maybe hit the arcade. I have my ride outside, if you want me to drive. "

Crossing her arms, Wendy watched as Dipper set the books down before saying, "We can do whatever you want, dude." with a smile.

"You're the one visiting, so it's your call. I don't mind what we do or where we go, I'm just stoked we get to hang out." She added, "It's cool you have a car, too. I still gotta walk everywhere, even though I have my license now. No car, though."

She sighed, but didn't linger on the thought for too long. The most she drove was her father's truck and _maybe_ a friend's car on a good day, but she didn't mind walking. It had been a part of her daily life for so long by that point that she hardly thought twice about it.

"Visiting, nah. I'm living here till school starts." Dipper said with a smile.

Eyes widening, Wendy exclaimed, "Dude! _Cool!_" She cleared her throat, calming herself, "I, um… I mean, it's really cool that you're sticking around."

"And really, we both know there really isn't much new in town. Soos was just giving us a chance to hang out, so…"He reached into his pockets and pulled out his keys. He then tossed them to Wendy, "surprise me."

Then, catching the keys that were thrown to her, Wendy was completely taken by surprise yet again. He was going to let _her_ drive _his_ car? That certainly wasn't something she thought she would be doing that day, but she wasn't about to complain.

"Well, I can't guarantee it'll be anything interesting, but," She winked, "I'd love to take you on in a game of _Fight Fighters_. It's been a while."

With that said, she started out of the room and down the stairs, wasting no time. She sent a brief wave Soos' way before stepping outside, and then walked down the stairs. Though, when she caught a glimpse of Dipper's car, she felt the urge to scream again.

"Man, that's _awesome_."

"It was a graduation gift from the Stans and my folks." Dipper said as he watched her face light up.

As she made her way towards the driver's side, a sudden realization hit Dipper. He forgot about the alarm. He quickly slipped the keys out of Wendy's hands and said. "Gonna need these for just a second."

He placed the key in the lock and before turning it punched a three digit code into the pad on the fob. "Gotta turn off the alarm McGuket installed, don't think you'd've wanted 5,000 volts running through you."

Opening the door, he bowed with a wink. "Your chariot awaits."

He handed Wendy back the keys.

Honestly, Wendy didn't know what she had been expecting, but it all made sense and didn't really come as a shock to her. A beefed up alarm system seemed typical and not at all out of the ordinary, though it probably would have been the complete opposite for anyone else.

"Yeah, not exactly my idea of fun." She chuckled and took the keys.

Climbing into the vehicle, Wendy sat down in the driver's seat and just took a moment to look around. "Seems like you've got a pretty nice setup in here. Nice graduation gift, man… you totally hit the jackpot!"

Putting the keys into the ignition and turning them, a smile spread across Wendy's face as the microbus came to life. Then, looking back to survey the rest of the space, she chuckled and said, "Whoa! It's all decked out too. What a score."

"Yeah, Ford tricked it out incase I ever needed to have a place to crash while I'm out in the field." Dipper said as he turned around to look in the back. "The side bench folds up to leave me enough room for a couple of sleeping bags. And there is storage under the back seat, with a camp stove and small lab kit. Mostly stuff to gather samples and what not."

"And being that it was the Stans, removing the backing on the bottom of the seat uncovers an 'In case of emergencies' surprise. A small arsenal set for the people most likely to be involved in the adventures. " He said with air quotes at the appropriate time. He then began counting people off one his fingers, "A backup of Mabel's grappling hook, though anymore she's more prone to use the knuckle dusters Grunkle Stan gave her. A saber for Paz, she apparently took up fencing after that first summer. A machete for me, simple and it has a few different uses. And a spare ax for you. He told me that he thinks he has it balanced similar to the one you used to carry."

Pulling out of the driveway and onto the street, Wendy remained silent as she listened to what Dipper was saying. It seemed as though the car quite literally had it all. There was nothing that slipped past the Stans, it seemed; even her ax, which was surprising.

"Whoa! That's _crazy_!" Wendy chuckled, "I'll have to check it out at some point to see just how close it is."

Pausing, a thoughtful look crossed her face, before she said, "I actually got a new one not too long ago – had the other one for _way_ too long and it was getting super worn out. You know my dad though, he's always one for using stuff until it's about to fall apart."

After a few familiar twists and turns, the microbus made it safely into town with Wendy at the wheel. She would have been lying if she said she hadn't been at least a _little_ scared to drive it, considering the fact that she wasn't exactly the most experienced driver. Although, it seemed as though she didn't have anything to worry about this time around.

"Things also seem to wear out a lot quicker with your dad." Dipper said with a smile.

Though it was a short trip, every bit of scenery reminded him of the previous summers he spent here. Like that bush they just passed was where he and Wendy had started their search for the barf fairies when Candy went missing in 2014. They found her teaching the fairies several different natural remedies to prevent upset stomachs.

As they pulled into town he turned to Wendy and said, "What a smooth ride. You took to her like a natural. I don't know if Mabel is intimidated by her size, but she as has trouble driving her. She prefers her little compact."

Wendy could feel a sense of pride flourish in her chest as Dipper complimented her driving. Truth be told, she had a habit of driving too fast and catching multiple cases of road rage. Being someone who frequently responded to negative things with anger, that had been one of the metaphorical speed bumps she had to overcome.

At that point the first lyrics for 'Cray, Cray' started playing from his pants pocket. Pulling out his phone, he looks at the screen and says "Speak of the devil."

"Hey sis," Dipper said as he answered the phone, "alright slow down. Have you gotten a hold of a pack of Fizzy Koalas again?"

Dipper sat for a couple of seconds listening to Mabel, "Ok, so you two are settled in? McGuket treating you all right? Wait, you have the whole east wing of the second floor for just the two of you. Nah, I'm fine at the Shack."

She didn't say a word as Dipper answered a call from who she quickly figured out was Mabel. It had been a long time since she had seen the other Pines twin, but she figured there would be more than enough time for that later on. Plus, it seemed as though she was having a great time and was preoccupied at the moment, so she supposed everything had worked out for the best.

Shifting the phone to his other ear he continued, "Yeah, she's doing good. I'll tell her. We're actually out right now. We're hanging out for a bit and then going go get some dinner. Yeah, I'm sure. No, that's not what it sounds like. Look I'll talk to you later. Bye sis."

Holding back a snicker as she tuned in to the last part of the conversation, Wendy instead focused on turning and pulling in to the arcade's parking lot. Then, turning off the car, she took the keys out of the ignition and clutched them in her right hand.

Closing out the phone he turned to Wendy, "Mabel says 'Hi'."

"Aw, man… well, tell her I said 'hi' back." Wendy smiled, "I hope we have some time to catch up later, but by the sounds of it – seems like she's having the time of her life."

"I'll tell her the next time I talk to her." Dipper said while at looking at Wendy, "She's gonna come by the Shack tomorrow if nothing else and you can tell her then."

Pausing for a moment, she turned to Dipper as she said, "Y'know, you two being away was actually the worst, it's _so_ boring here."

It took Dipper a couple of seconds to respond to the last statement as he was lost in Wendy's eyes the moment she had turned to look at him. When he finally did respond, he said. "Well the worst for me was being away from y… here. I mean, you know, Gravity Falls. The people, the scenery, the adventures, the people…"

A chuckle escaped Wendy, and she looked down at her lap.

There was that chuckle Dipper loved to hear. Lord knows that Wendy deserved to laugh more and the world needs more laughter in it.

"Funny how that works out, huh?" She rose her gaze to look out at the parking lot, "We all wanna be somewhere we aren't, and we'd kill to be outta our current situation. It's like the whole phenomenon where straight-haired people want curly hair instead, and vice versa. We're never happy with what we have."

Snorting, Wendy met Dipper's gaze again, "That was a weird tangent. Sorry about that, dude. How about we head inside?"

While Wendy waxed poetic as she looked out at the parking lot, he watched her and reaffirmed his earlier decision to do what could to keep her happy.

"Weird, nah. It's natural to want something out of reach. You know what they always say: the grass is always greener on the other side, but be careful though cause there's time it's green because it's astroturf." He said with a shrug as he opened his door. "But right now I'm happy right where I am."

Another round of chuckles escaped Wendy as she got out of the vehicle, stretching her arms over her head once she shut the door behind her. It wasn't a terribly bad day, quite the opposite, in fact. The weather seemed to be on their side for the time being, which made everything that much better.

Once he was around the front of the Microbus he patted the hood, "It seems like she likes you, whenever you want to go for a drive just let me know. Heck, if you want to split the cost of gas we could even go to Portland, Eugene, or even out to the coast."

However, Wendy couldn't care less about the weather once her eyes locked on Dipper while he spoke. The idea of being able not only to get out of town, but _drive_ out of it was very tempting. Honestly, it would be like a dream come true to her, something that she had been fantasizing about for a very long time.

"Portland would be _great_." Wendy nodded emphatically, "That was always the plan… at least, it was, before I started saving up to go to California."

A knowing smile crossed her face, but it only lasted for a few seconds, just long enough for Dipper to catch it. The comment was small, but held a lot of weight.

"Shall we?" She gestured towards the front of the arcade.

Her comment and that smile practically knocked the wind out of Dipper. She had been planning on traveling down to California. That can't mean that she was gonna come see him did it? Nah. But that smile, that had to mean something right? Or is he reading to much into this again. What is it that being around her makes him go back to being that nervous 12 year old again? Oh shoot, she was motioning towards the arcade. He rushed forward to get there first.

"Here let me get the door for you." Dipper said as he opened the door so Wendy could head in first.

"Thanks, dude." Wendy nodded and made her way into the arcade.

As they made their way through the arcade he stopped at the token machine and fished out a five that he fed into the slot. He gave half of the tokens to Wendy.

It hadn't been too long since she had last been there, but a lot had changed in the arcade over the years. New games circulated in and out, as did those who played them. There was an entirely new group of kids who called the place their own now.

As they made it to where Fight Fighters used to be they found it was gone and Extreme Fight Fighters 3 was in its place.

With the tokens in her hands, Wendy made her way over to the machine and shook her head with a sigh, looking at the newer title.

"Aw, man, that's a shame," Wendy said, "but I guess we won't know what the new one's like if we don't play it. Might as well give it a shot."

Dipper drops his token in the slot and after looking over the characters he chose Eloa Mawashi, a Brazilian female sumo. He had thought about using Rumble but it just didn't feel right.

Joining in, Wendy scrolled through the characters for a few seconds, and even took a second pass over each of them. There were a few new options, but her sights were set on the older ones, that which sent a wave of nostalgia over her. Deciding to go with Admiral Big-Calves from the United Kingdom, she waited for the game to start with a rush of adrenaline.

"You want to beat up the ref some for old times sake?" He asked as he moved his character to just one side of where the ref was standing in the back ground. He the proceeded to use basic attacks where it looked like he should be hitting the ref.

"Yeah! Let's do it." Wendy chuckled, searching her memory banks for a few combos as they both wreaked imaginary havoc on the ref.

Looking over at Wendy, he caught a glimpse of one of old, faded 'Robbie V And The Tombstones' posters still on the wall. "How's the gang doing? Are Robbie and Tambry still together?"

Looking over at Dipper momentarily before focusing on the screen again, she said, "Ah, man… the gang. We actually don't keep up much with each other anymore. Some stuff happened after high school and we figured it'd be better if we cooled things off for a bit. Y'know, as bad as we were as kids, none of us _actually_ wanted to end up in jail."

"But Tambry's been my best friend forever, so we still chill a lot." Wendy continued, "They're doing good, not much to report on that front, though. They've always seemed perfect for each other."

"Good to hear," Dipper said with a flinch as Eloa took a hit that cleared her health bar. He was still getting used to her move set so it didn't bug him. Besides it was Wendy he was playing with, his competitive nature was tampered with the glee of being with her.

"I wonder if Ford finally bought the old game cabinet, he had been talking about it ever since Rumble helped with 'Never Mind All That'." He said as the next round started. He instantly launched Eloa into a big belly splash attack. "Something about giving Rumble and .Giffany a proper retirement."

"Hey, man, that'd be nice." Wendy nodded in agreement, then made a sound of disapproval when half of her health bar was taken out.

Admittedly, she was somewhat out of practice with gaming as a whole. She just didn't have the time most days, and other days, she'd rather be making appearances elsewhere. With that love-hate relationship she had with people, there were times when she wanted to be the life of the party, and other times when she would be content to remain holed up in her room.

Well, that round was a bust.

Dipper was about to continue when he felt something brush against his ankle. Looking down and behind him, he saw the familiar red hat and blue shirt of a Gravity Falls gnome. He was carrying a dust pan and a hand broom.

He remembered that the gnomes had somewhat integrated themselves into Gravity Falls workforce, usually working for cheap food. Greasy's hasn't had a rodent problem since that first summer and all it costs them is a pie a week.

The gnome, realizing he was being looked at, turned to looked back Dipper and Wendy. "Hey there you. Hi-ya stretch."

Turning around, Wendy offered a nod of acknowledgement the gnome's way, "Hey, dude."

They talked to the gnome for a moment and learned he was paid two bags of corn chips and whatever he swept up off of the floor. After he had commented on how wasteful some humans are he went back to work.

Once they went back to the game Dipper found he couldn't really concentrate as he was even more aware of how close she was to him. Each accidental bump caused him to loose focus. Wendy ended up trouncing him that round and they traded wins on two more before Dipper suggested a game of air hockey.

Ah, air hockey. Wendy was incredibly competitive when it came to that game, and she always had been. She had played for hours upon hours, all of which ended in sore knuckles and a great feeling of accomplishment. Though, admittedly, she _did_ try her best to hold back with Dipper.

About halfway through the first game he asked, "So was there anything in particular you was looking forward to seeing during that California trip you were saving up for?"

Looking up from the table, Wendy grinned, "What do you think, dude? I was coming to see you and Mabel." She shot the puck, "I was hoping you guys woulda been up for giving me the grand tour of the place."

She chuckled, "Plus, I'd love to see this 'nice weather' thing everyone keeps talking about. Honestly, I'd probably go into shock the moment the rain stopped."

It was the answer he was expecting, but it still caused him to miss the puck as it got to his net. Though a small selfish portion of him had hoped that she would have said it would have been to just visit him. He pulled out the puck and took his shot. "Well Salinas weather runs much like around here, so you wouldn't see much of a difference."

With a lot of the game being applied physics, Dipper was able to somewhat keep up with Wendy. After a bank shot that made it past her defenses, in a voice that sounded more confident than he felt he said, "Besides if you want a tour of Piedmont, I've promised my parents I would spend at least a weekend at 'home' this summer. You could come down with me and check things out."

Wendy lowered her gaze back to the table, but she was still very much invested in the conversation. She just felt an intense urge to hide her face in that moment.

"That'd be cool, like… _really_ cool."

Speaking of 'cool', Wendy really needed to keep hers.

Forcing her gaze back up to Dipper, she shot the puck but missed the net by a hair. "That is, as long as you don't mind having me hanging over your shoulder and taking up your space." She chuckled, "I don't wanna invade your life like that, especially if it's a situation where your parents want you back there to see you and all."

And with that comment about her hanging over his shoulder jarred him enough that he ricocheted the puck back into his net.

"Uhm, well…" he said as all pretense of confidence evaporated, "it really would be no bother. Mom will probably be either working or on call the whole weekend and depending on what project dad's company is working on, he may have to be at the office. So it would be just me, Mabel, and possibly Paz there most of the weekend anyways."

"Dude, that'd be cool!" Wendy's eyes lit up, "We could all hang out and tour the place together, or whatever."

Dipper was happy to see the way her face lit up. Seeing that she was about to drop the puck he readied his paddle.

Shooting the puck again, she added, "Or, y'know… we could always go off on our own, too. I know we're spending time alone together today, but what can I say? I'm greedy and I like taking up all your time."

She chuckled, cheeks turning a faint shade of pink.

Only to completely lose his grip on the paddle after she said she wanted to spend more time alone with him.

"You do? With me?" He sputtered as the puck flew into the net. "I mean, cool."

"Yeah, man." Wendy shrugged, playing it off like an expert, "It's been too long since we've gotten to do this stuff together."

With that said, the game ended and showed that Wendy had won. She chuckled softly, lips tugging up into a smirk as pride flourished in her chest. Realistically, she really didn't _get_ anything out of winning except for the satisfaction, but she had to admit that it felt good.

"Wanna go again?" She asked, tilting her head to the side inquisitively. In doing so, she had also started leaning against the table in a relaxed position, that which completely betrayed how she was feeling internally.

"Or do you want to head out now?"

Though he was still flustered, Dipper decided to try and calm himself down. He can't read too much into what was going on, he didn't want any misunderstandings. Besides he liked the relaxed aura that Wendy was emitting, it suited her. He didn't want to ruin it.

"Well it all depends, are you hungry yet?" He asked as he tried to compose himself. "If not, we can play another game or we could head out and see what else we can do."

Wendy smiled and gave up another token, readying herself as the air started to flow up and out of the table again. This resulted in a pleasant hum from the piece of machinery.

As soon as he saw Wendy drop the token in the slot, Dipper grabbed his paddle and got in front of his net.

"I could go for another round." She said, "Then we can blow this joint and see what else we can get up to."

Shooting the puck, the smile remained plastered on Wendy's face. She was having too much fun to stop just yet.

Though her smile was enchanting to him, he was able to block the first shot. Her double bank return was another matter. "Well you've got first blood, but I'm not gonna go down easy this time."

After grabbing the puck from it' slot he dropped it on the table and shot it out. As he did so he added, "How about this, the winner of the game get's to choose what we watch for our first movie night. I brought some real D-grade and worse DVDs with me."

"Impress me." Wendy challenged, fire in her eyes as she defended her net.

This was fun. It was probably the most fun she had in a while and, quite frankly, she could get used to this.

As the years went on, her relationship with Dipper only grew, and it got worse and worse whenever he had to leave. She never allowed this to show outwardly, of course, but it was something she had been feeling.

Her feelings for Dipper were complex and they always had been. Truthfully, she herself didn't even know where they stood, but she tried not to think about it too much. Emotions and expressing them were not areas that she frequented, instead preferring to bury everything deep down so she didn't have to think about it.

"Sounds good to me, dude." She responded, "Seriously, I can't wait to see the haul. It's been a while since I've seen a really _good_ bad movie."

Feeling like that was a challenge, Dipper did his best to focus on the game so he could impress her. He intentionally soft tapped the puck causing it to lose it's momentum. As it drifted lazily towards the center line he suddenly slammed it with his paddle causing it to streak into Wendy's net.

As she was retrieving the puck he said, "Yeah, I've got a couple cult classics: 'Them Lives!' and 'Shocky Horror Treatment Show'. I also found a copy of 'Hello Mummy, Where's Daddy?' in one of the $.50 bins at a shop on campus. Plus a few more even worse than that.

Eyes widening as the puck disappeared into her net, Wendy smirked. "Good one." She gave a little whistle, "But you gotta know, I'm not going down _that_ easily, dude."

With that said, she shot the puck towards Dipper again, listening as he listed off the names of what already sounded like gold. She had to admit, bad horror movies were her greatest weakness.

"Sounds _awful_." Wendy commented, "I'm in."

Dipper blocked her shot and they began to practically pass the puck back and forth. Every time he tried to finesse it towards her net she would block it and try to slam it towards his and usually vice-versa.

Much to her amusement but not at all to her surprise, Dipper kept up with Wendy's moves. She now remembered why she almost never came around to the arcade during his time away.

It was just more fun with Dipper.

"Well the worse the movie is, the funner it is this roast it. At least when you're not at a theater, then it's best to just lambast it later." He said as he tried to keep up with the puck, just barely knocking it back "Speaking of the theater, is Thompson still working there or did he finally head put to college like he was saving for?"

No sooner had that left his mouth than she feinted left and slammed the puck in from the right.

"Can't tell you how many times I've almost gotten kicked outta the movie theater for my big mouth." Wendy chuckled, "That said, I _have_ learned to bite my tongue in there… at least, compared to my teenage days."

Wendy remained silent for a moment after that, as if to sit on the question and formulate an answer.

"Well there's always other ways to keep your mouth occupied in a theater," Dipper responded quietly without thinking and he instantly went red as he realized what he has said. She seemed in thought and he hoped she hadn't heard him.

'Man why did I say that? It was SOOO 'Smooth'! Lord why couldn't I have kept my mouth shut.' These and many more thoughts were flying though his head until he heard her speak.

The puck came to a painfully slow halt in front of Wendy's net as her grip on the paddle faltered. She stood there for a moment in silent shock until her shoulders started to shake, laughter following soon after.

"Well, dude, I have to say that I didn't see _that_ coming. Sounds like you're talking from experience." She smirked, "But yeah, there are _definitely_ some good distractions from a horribly plotted movie."

Shooting again, Wendy expertly hid her reeling mind. She hadn't expected _that_, of all things, but it was a pleasant surprise.

'OH MAN! OH MAN! SHE HEARD ME! AND SHE'S LAUGHING AT ME!' Ran through Dipper's thoughts as the puck slip into his net. 'Oh man she thinks I've got experience making out in theaters, does she think I'm a man slut or something.'

But he started to calm down some as she continued and it seemed she like she was possibly laughing cause she was shocked at what he had said. 'Ok, I gotta recover here somehow. Think…"

"Yeah, I think he did." She nodded a few moments later, "I didn't see much of him after high school, so I assume he got outta here one way or another." Snorting, she continued, "Honestly, I'm kinda proud of him for being the first of us to skip town."

"Well hopefully he's doing good. You know while I'm in town maybe we should try to get the old gang together at least once." Dipper said as he tried to block the incoming puck. He knocked it into the left corner and stopped it.

"Maybe." Wendy nodded in agreement, "It'd be cool to see them again, even if we're all totally different people now."

"And besides it may be a little selfish of me, but I for one am glad you haven't left town yet. Especially considering I'm seriously planning on moving here after graduation." He shot the puck but his aim was off and so it came no where near her net. He continued as she shot it back at him. "So yeah I would definitely miss having you around if you left."

A smile spread across her face, and she continued, "Well, in that case, I guess it's good I haven't had the chance to leave yet, especially if it means we get to spend more time together. The world works in mysterious ways and all that."

"Yeah, that it does and funny you said it that way. I won't be coming back just for fun though." He said as he pulled out the puck and dropped it on the table. He took a second the wipe the palms of his hands before he grabbed his paddle again. "The Stans don't know how much longer they can continue to travel to track down the anomalies that register on Ford's sensors and I'm planning to take over for them eventually. That's why I've been going for the biology and archaeology degrees. And why I'm rushing through them so fast. I've also taken a cryptography course, but now a days that's all applied to computer programming. Gonna need a place to calm down some in between and Gravity Falls is pretty much home for me."

Any and all of that prior amusement present in Wendy's facial features had been completely wiped clean, instead replaced by a look of pleasant shock. So, he really _was_ going to be around a lot more, meaning that it hadn't just been wishful thinking on her part.

"Sounds like you've been working a lot, but I figured as much." She shrugged with a smile, "It's cool that you're gonna take over the family business and honestly, it's really admirable. Seriously, I have no idea what half those words you just said mean - sounds intense."

He let that set in for a moment before he hit the puck. Then with a smile that hopefully seemed more confident than he feels he said "And you know I won't be able to do all that traveling alone."

Shooting, the smile faltered on her face ever so slightly as she said, "Don't _ever_ let my dad find that out." A soft chuckle left her, "He's _still_ trying to get me on board with our family's shtick."

"But travelling, eh? Sounds like the dream." Wendy accidentally gave Dipper a point, distracted by what had just been said. She didn't care in the slightest, instead saying, "Say, if I join you, do _I_ need to learn all of that complicated mumbo jumbo?" with a snort.

"Come on Wendy, we both know you're smarter than you let on. Just cause you don't like the scholastic stuff doesn't mean anything, you could teach me more about survival skills and nature than any school." Dipper said with a serious look. "And the mumbo jumbo, you'll pick up what you'd need as we'd go."

"Sounds like a plan, even if I _do_ think you still give me too much credit." Wendy chuckled, "But I guess I'm a pretty quick learner… I wouldn't hold you back, at the very least."

"As for your dad, no offense, but we both know getting away from him and your brothers would drop your stress level significantly." He said as he realized he had scored a point, but really the game was seemingly insignificant right now. "But all of that is in the future, right here and now I want to worry about spending time with my best friend."

Then she nodded, in complete agreement what Dipper was saying about her family. It was a wonder that she hadn't completely lost it yet still living under the same roof as them, but she did what she had to.

"Agreed, dude. All we need to worry about right now is who's gonna win this game." She smirked, shooting and scoring another point

"Nice shot!" Dipper said as the table shut down. They had been having such a good time that he hadn't been keeping track of the score, but apparently that was Wendy's fifth point. Setting down his paddle he added, "And that's game."

Wendy actually had to look up at the scoreboard in order to confirm that the game had, in fact, come to an end and she was victorious once again. She had been so caught up in their conversation that it didn't even cross her mind, but things seemed to have worked out in her favor.

He walked around the table and went to stand near her, "You won, so what's next?"

Turning to look at Dipper as she stretched her arms above her head, she twisted her back in order to relieve some tension that had built up whilst she had been leaning over the table.

Dipper watched her stretch and completely forgot what he was gonna say. Then her emerald eyes were upon him and that smile that always brightens up his day.

"Good game, dude." Wendy responded with a smile, "I could totally go for some grub now, if you'd be up for it. I think we've pretty much exhausted the good games… at least, the ones we're interested in."

"Well any game is good if you're playing with the right person." He practically whispered before he realized he had said it. Feeling his phone vibrate in his pocket snapped him out of his enchantment. As he went to pull it out he asked, "Did we ever decide where to eat?"

Seeing that it was Ford he held up a finger and said "Hold that thought, it's Ford."

He answered the call with a swipe of his finger and held the up to talk, "Hey Ford. Yeah, I made it to town safely. Yes, I slept some. Alright. So it'll be the day after tomorrow before you two return? Ok. Yeah, I'm out getting reacquainted with the town. No, I'm not alone, I'm about to get something to eat with Wendy."

His face suddenly turned red and he turned away from Wendy as he pretty much whisper yelled, "No, it's not. Why does everyone seem think think that? Is that Stan snickering in the background?"

Unable to stop herself from snickering as she listened in on the phone call, Wendy did her best to hide her face whilst doing so. Luckily, Dipper was preoccupied so it wasn't that difficult.

Feeling something brush his leg he turned back around and saw the gnome coming out from under the air hockey table. This bit of Gravity Falls normality (and the fact that Wendy was right there) brought him back to calmness and he continued "Alright, I'll see you guys in a couple days."

She wasn't at all blind to what was going on; she had been able to put the pieces together from the moment Soos let her off work early. If her years of experience with people taught her anything, it was how to pick up on social cues and what they meant. While she was still, regrettably, unobservant and apathetic at times about the world around her, she tended to listen very intently when it had to do with someone she cared for.

After hanging up the phone, he looked back down at the gnome. Pulling out his keys and remaining tokens he said, "Lee, isn't it? You're doing a great job man. Here maybe your bosses will allow you to turn these in for some more snacks or something."

After he leaned down and handed the tokens to the gnome, he stood back up and tossed the keys to Wendy, "So where were we, oh yeah. What's the plan for food?"

After catching the keys, Wendy shrugged, "How about you pick? You're the one that just got here, after all. I have my pick of the food in town all the time." The smile returned to her face as she finished, though it was softer now.

"Well I'll probably save Hermanos for when I get 'homesick' or what not. Besides, Abuelita makes better burritos and tacos anyways." Dipper said returning her smile.

"And Mabel's probably gonna want to hit Greasy's when we get together for lunch tomorrow." He added as he rubbed what little scruff he had on his chin, a reminder that he forgot to shave earlier. "So how about Yumberjacks then?"

Meanwhile the thoughts in is head were going a mile a minute 'Why is everyone so interested in my potential love life. First Soos, then Mabel, & now the Stans. Who's next, Abuelita? Ok, that one makes sense with her love of telenovellas. Candy? Grenda? Paz?'

Before Wendy could answer, the theme song from the classic 'The Exploits of Mellony Aire And Her Friends!' cartoon played on his phone signaling a text message from Pacifica.

Snorting, Wendy said, "Man, aren't _you_ a popular one." in a playful tone, that which indicated she was just messing around.

Without thinking he opened it up and his face went red. He could tell that his sister has been a bad influence on Paz, as the message read: 'How's the date going? Am I going to be invited to the wedding?'

'Oh man, I hope she didn't read that.' Dipper thought as he realized he had opened the phone where she could have seen the screen. He really couldn't tell from her tone.

"But yeah, sounds good to me, dude." She said with a nod, twirling the key ring around her index finger.

He nodded as she twirled the keys and followed her out to his microbus. Hearing her stomach started his rumbling, which he was surprised hadn't happened earlier. The last time he had ate was around midnight and that was a gas station hoagie.

With that said, she gestured for Dipper to follow her back to the microbus. She was ready to get out there and back on the road. Not to mention, the undeniable sound of her stomach growling couldn't be ignored for much longer.

Unlocking and hopping into the driver's seat of the vehicle, Wendy closed the door and fired it up. Whilst waiting for Dipper to join her, she pulled the seat belt over her chest and clipped it into place.

After she unlocked the door, he hopped in and tossed on his belt. "Hit it, Wendy."

"Yes, sir." Wendy responded with a smirk, pulling out of the parking lot.

She still wasn't the best at checking the mirrors whilst backing up, but she was getting used to it and hadn't hit anything yet. However, she _was_ making sure to be extra careful with Dipper's vehicle.

He sat back as Wendy drove, after the drive last night he was glad he could trust her to drive. And if plans work out it will be great to have her as a backup driver while out in the field.

"That was fun." Wendy said as they sped down the street, "It's changed a lot in there, but it also feels the same, y'know? I think it's 'cause you were with me, though. Otherwise, I seriously would've had no desire to step foot back in there."

As they drove he looked at all the scenery and thought about what Wendy said. Most if his great memories of this town were because she was with him. He really can only think of one or two times that they were together that he would consider bad, and it was his fault both of those times.

"Glad I could help you re-appreciate one of your old hang outs." He said as he looked over and admired her profile as she drove. So earnest in her handling of his microbus. He definitely was gonna have to let her drive a lot as the summer progressed to help boost her confidence behind the wheel.

Wendy smiled, nodding but remaining silent as she kept her eyes on the road.

Things had been rough, that wasn't even up for debate. She had been trying to get her life together for as long as she could remember, yet failed time and time again. However, she wasn't someone that would just lie down and let it happen - no, she kept pushing no matter what. It was just in her nature.

That was why she was so thankful, why she was so genuinely _happy_ today. It was like she didn't have to push anymore, - at least, not for a little while - and instead could just really sit back and enjoy the ride they called life.

As they pulled into the parking lot he caught a whiff of the food wafting from the restaurant and his stomach growled loud enough he wondered if a Manotaur had hid in the back of the microbus. "Sorry about that, I guess it's been a bit since I ate"

Parking, Wendy turned off the vehicle, her green eyes going wide as she heard Dipper's stomach growl from beside her.

"Well then, we better head in there and get you something to eat, yeah?" She turned to look at him, cocking an eyebrow.

Dipper snickered as he hopped out of the microbus. He made that he was at the restaurant's door to open it for Wendy when she got there. "After you Ma'am."

"Thanks, dude." Wendy smiled and made her way into the restaurant. It had been awhile since she last had a door opened for her.

As they got inside he looked up at the menu board to reacquaint himself. "I think I'm going to get the double quarter pounder Hearty-Jack meal and a tea. What about you? Don't worry about cost, I'm covering it."

Joining Dipper in looking up at the menu board, Wendy allowed her eyes to scan its contents whilst simultaneously listening to his choice. She never really cared what she got as long as it filled her up. _Anything_ was better than the surplus of canned goods and freeze-dried survival packs she ate at home with her family.

"Hmm…" Wendy tapped a finger against her lips, before a smirk spread across her face. Turning to Dipper, she said, "Well, in that case, I'll order one of everything!"

"Well if that's what you want," Dipper replid with a grin. Them he winked as he added. "Though I'll have to get an advance on patents that Ford put in my name to cover the rest of the summer."

Laughing, she shook her head, "I'm just messing, though I probably _would_ finish it all if given the chance. I think I'll have the same thing you're getting, but with a water instead." She nodded, "Looks pretty good. You have good taste."

With a wink, Wendy smiled, "Thanks for taking care of the bill, dude. That's really cool of you."

"You're living proof of that," he responded under his breath, catching himself only afterwards. Trying to cover his tracks he added "Well it's only fair considering I'm the one who asked you out… I mean I'm the one who asked you to hang out."

Realizing that he stuck his foot in his mouth again, he began to nervously rub the back of his neck again. He was saved from rushing out of the restaurant by the cashier setting the tray of food on the counter. Grabbing it quickly he said, "Here's the food, hmm. There's a booth in the corner or a couple of tables clear. Lead the way, I'll follow you anywhere."

"Cool." Wendy nodded with a smile, turning on her heel to find a seat.

After a bit of an internal debate, she decided to go with the booth in the corner and made a beeline for it. The two sat down and she was quick to grab her meal, even more hungry now that the food was right in front of her. She was about to dig in when she paused.

Wendy definitely caught onto what Dipper had said before, stumbling over his words to save face. However, she had decided to wait until they were in a place that was a little more private to do anything about it.

"Y'know…" She started, tapping her fingers against the table, "it's good you follow the whole 'I asked you out, so I'll pay' rule. First guy I ever went on a date with expected _me_ to pick up the bill, and it's kinda always been that way for me." Chuckling, she said, "I mean, I guess the people I dated weren't exactly winners, and stuff like that isn't a really big deal in our generation, but it's still nice to be treated every once in a while."

He nearly inhaled the fry he had been about to eat when she said the d word. He coughed for a second as he thought, 'Oh, man. She heard me. Does she think that I think that this is a date? I swear I tried to make sure that I wasn't assuming that this was a date.'

After that had flowed through his noggin and what she had said had been processed he said, "Uhmm, I really wouldn't know. My only real date was a blind date Mabel set up and she left for the restroom about twenty minutes into the meal and never returned. Found out later that she walked straight out and met up with some of her friends and had a good laugh."

A lil redfaced he added "Even with this being us just hanging out, it's already light years better than that."

Frowning, Wendy shook her head as she grabbed a handful of fries. "Man, that's rough… seriously, I can't believe people can just do that kinda thing without it weighing on their conscience afterwards."

Shoving the fries into her mouth, - graceful as ever in her actions - Wendy chewed and swallowed the food before continuing. She at least had the poise to do that.

"That girl had no idea what she was missing out on, dude." Wendy shrugged, "But maybe it was for the best, y'know?" Taking a swig of water, she continued, "I've personally been out of the dating game for a while now. I don't really get attached anymore; it's ever only caused problems."

She smiled, "But yeah, I totally agree with you. Our little 'hang out', as you call it, is _much_ better than any date I can remember having."

'As I call it? Is she thinking differently, oh man? And what did she mean by "it was for the best"? What if she thought that this was a date and I just screwed it up. What if I just messed things up. Nah, no way. Wendy's cooler than that, I'm over thinking things again. I'm taking too long to think here, better take a bite or something.' Flowed through his thoughts as he took a bite of his sandwich.

He took a sip of his tea and quickly reached for 6 sugar packets. One of his classmates last year got him addicted to southern style sweet tea. Well that and he was back to being nervous, she had that affect on him. She could make him feel like he could take over the world and nervous enough to question whether he even remembered his name right, all at the same time.

"Well good company will do that." He said with a smile.

"Man, I could totally toast to that." Wendy responded, "To good company, and an insane amount of sugar in that tea."

With a chuckle and a fond look, she held out the water to the center of the table so Dipper could meet her with his drink.

She decided to change the subject for a bit, seeing that she was making Dipper a bit uneasy. Heck, _anyone_ could see that; it was written all over his face, and while she loved teasing him, she knew when to take things down a notch.

"I can drink to that. To good company!" Dipper said as he clicked glasses with her. He took a drink and grabbed three more sugar packets.

"Classmate in Advance Calculus was from Athens, Georgia. He was so southern, he made McGuket look like a New Yorker. And he used to bring a thermos of southern style sweet tea to class every day. It was addictive." He said in response to her comment and the look he was getting.

Wendy laughed with a nod, "I bet."

Setting down her drink, she helped herself to a generous portion of her sandwich. Up until then, she only had a few fries and her stomach had been crying out to her ceaselessly. The relief was immediate as she chewed and swallowed the hearty morsel, a sigh escaping her.

"Man, that's good." She commented, pausing before asking, "How's the food from your neck of the woods compare to here, anyway? Anything I'm missing out on?"

"Well around school there's your usual fast food joints, a couple pizza chains, a Hoo-Ha Owl's for the kiddos, and an all you can eat Asian buffet. As you get further away from the school you come across more, including a honest to goodness drive in restaurant that Mabel tried working at until she remembered she couldn't rollerskate." He chuckled some when he said that one before he continued. "Then there are a couple of pubs on the outskirts of campus. And finally there are a couple of food trucks that cater to the school."

He grabbed a few fries and followed them up with a swig of his tea. Once that was swallowed he added, "Now back in Piedmont there's a lot of the same, but there's also a Chinese restaurant that Pacifica fell in love with the last time she visited Mabel at there. The owner is a first generation immigrant and the two of them spoke at length in Mandarin the first time we all went there. Apparently Paz learned it for her dad's business for some reason when she was younger. The owner was so touched that she had someone to talk to in her native tongue that she 'Forgot' to charge us for our drinks and desert that visit."

He took another bite of his burger, savoring the flavor. After a sip of his tea he finished, "So yeah, there's a greater variety of food. But a lot of the times it can be overwhelming."

Listening intently whilst eating, Wendy tried her best to imagine all the places Dipper was telling her about. There really was a whole world out there, one that she hadn't yet been given the chance to explore. However, with the way things had been going, she might not have to wait much longer.

"Mandarin, eh?" Wendy tilted her head to the side, "It's pretty cool that Pacifica knows how to speak a second language."

She chuckled, "But if it's overwhelming to _you_, I can't wait to see how I react to everything. Man, I'm getting excited just thinking about it." After a brief pause, she continued, "The food's okay here, I guess, but when you've ordered everything off the menu of every restaurant in town at least a dozen times in your life, it gets kind of boring."

"Sometimes boring is good, it helps settle your psyche. Remember how good it felt after 'Never Mind All That' when everything returned to normal?" He said as he had three fries ready to eat.

He tossed the fries in mouth as he thought, 'If she thinks she'll be overwhelmed by that, I can't wait to see what she'll think about the case Ford has been preparing for, a trip to the Emerald Isle and the reported Kelpie attacks.'

He took another bite of his burger as his thoughts continued, 'I know he wants me to go with him after I, well we, get back from visiting my parents and there isn't anyone I want watching my back than her.'

After he finally swallowed he said, "But yeah, I'll gladly take you wherever you want to eat while we're down there."

Resting her cheek on her closed fist, elbow propped up on the table, Wendy took a moment to think about it. She supposed Dipper was right; as much as the town could bore her to tears at times, she was glad that it hadn't been completely eradicated all those years ago. Despite everything, it was still home and nothing would be able to take that title away from it.

"You're right, dude." She replied, lazily grabbing a fry and popping it into her mouth, "As much as I don't wanna admit it, things _are_ much nicer without all that noise."

Even with that said, she was still looking forward to getting back into chasing mystery with Dipper. It had been long, _far_ too long.

"I'll hold you to it, dude." Wendy smiled at him, sitting back up to finish her sandwich, "I know you won't let me down… you never have."

"Now you're the one giving me too much credit. I know I let you down at least once." Dipper said as he thought back to the mind control CD incident and his own selfish stupidity, "but I promise you I will do my best to never let you down again."

He swirled one of his fries in his ketchup, "There may even be a trip coming up soon. I know Ford and Stan was supposed to talk to Soos about hiring an assistant cashier to cover for you if you decide to help us out."

Wendy shook her head, but didn't push the issue. If Dipper thought he had something to make up for, she knew there was little she could do to change his mind. Even so, she hoped he knew that she didn't blame him for anything that happened - it was all in the past.

"Really?" Her eyes lit up in response, "Man, that'd be awesome…"

She paused for a moment, and then asked, "What kinda trip is it? Or is it some top secret stuff?" An excited look crossed her face, "Whatever it is, I'm in."

"We'll have to have Ford get you a passport and other paperwork if that gives you a hint." He said after he finished his fry. "It'll probably be sometime after we get back from me showing you some of California, so we have a little bit of time. As for secrecy, well I'll let Ford explain it tomorrow when they get here."

He takes a drink of his tea and set's it back down. He looks at his half finished burger and his remaining fries before turning to Wendy and saying, "You know what, I'm suddenly in the mood for a shake. You want one too?"

"Oh, man, _now_ I'm interested." Wendy responded, just about bursting from the excitement she was trying to contain in that moment.

When she thought about it, it made sense that they would be travelling to different parts of the world for these adventures, but she hadn't been expecting it to happen so _soon_. She hadn't even left the general area before, so crossing the threshold into another state would already be a big deal for her.

She could hardly wait.

Nodding emphatically, Wendy smiled, "It's like you read my mind, dude. I think I'll go for a good ol' strawberry. What about you?"

"Well I was thinking vanilla, but strawberry sounds good too." Dipper said as he grabbed a fry whilst getting up.

"Or maybe I will get both and we can share them," he said with a wink as he popped the fry into mouth.

As he walked towards the counter his bravado seemingly disappeared as he thought, 'What the hell. Where in the world did that come from?'

He low key patted himself down to make sure he didn't have any version of the mind control tie tech on him.

For the briefest of moments, a look of pleasant surprise danced across Wendy's face. "Sounds good to me, dude." She responded with a quick nod, resting her chin on the backs of her hands, which were now clasped together.

Once Dipper had left the table, Wendy couldn't deny the heat that had now taken residence on her cheeks. They were flushed a pale pink colour, that which almost always showed up more on her even paler skin. Thankfully, however, it was faint enough to be mistaken for the natural state of her cheeks.

She just had to make sure to keep it that way.

When he got to the counter he finally registered what she had said. He put the order in as he tried thinking things through, 'Am I subconsciously flirting with her? I mean, yes I would love nothing more than to take her out on a date. Hell, is this a date and we just don't know it? Just being back with her feels so right. Maybe I should just do it.'

He made sure that each shake only had one straw as he went back to the table.

"Here you go, a sweet for the sweet." He said with a smile as he slid the shake in front of her.

Much to her chagrin but not to her surprise, Wendy felt her cheeks burn when Dipper returned with the shakes. She noted that they each only had one straw - a nice touch.

"Thanks." She responded with a nod, eyebrows raised ever so slightly as she took the first sip. Then, looking down at the shake, she added, "Man, that's good."

Sliding it towards Dipper, she said, "You gotta try it."

'Wait a minute, somethings different here. Did Wendy put on blush while I was up at the counter? No, that's natural. I'm making her blush. Is that a good sign or a bad one?' Dipper's mind was racing as she took a sip, 'And now she wants me to try it. That's a date move if I ever knew one. Are we in date mode now?'

"You're welcome." He said with a grin and an unabashed blush of his own. "Alright, let's see how good it is."

He took the straw and reveling in the fact that Mabel would call this an indirect kiss, he took a drink. It was good, a nice solid strawberry flavor. He took a second to look over at the counter and as much of their kitchen as he could see but no Love God working back there, these feelings were all him.

"Welp, that was nice." He said with silly grin, "Pretty sweet, but definitely not the sweetest thing at the table."

'What the hell, am I having flashbacks to Stan's dating tips? No, I think that one was all me. You know what, I'm gonna just flow with it.' He thought as he just gazed into her eyes.

A soft yet surprised chortle left Wendy's lips, eyebrows raising, "Oh really?"

Though she hadn't noticed it up until that point in time, she had been subconsciously leaning closer to Dipper over the table. It was subtle, but enough to mimic the magnetic pull he had on her, if only slightly.

"We aren't talking about milkshakes, are we?"

Might as well rip the band-aid off. Wendy had never been good at flirting, had never claimed to be, either. No, she had game without even realizing it; many people told her that.

"It's okay if we aren't." Wendy tilted her head to the side, "I just wanna make sure we're on the same page here."

'Nope, and I'm not talking about my tea either." He replied as it seemed his silly smile grew.

"I'm glad to hear that, but I certainly hope that we are." He was drawn even closer to her by the magnetic pull of her emerald eyes.

This was really happening, wasn't it? Wendy could hardly believe it herself. After messing up so bad all those years ago and letting her own stupid teenage pride get in the way, she thought that she would never get a chance to right her wrongs.

"Cool." The smile remained plastered to her face, though she was kicking herself internally.

With another generous sip of the milkshake to ease the tightness that was growing in her throat, Wendy had to break eye contact momentarily. She needed to get a grip before she said anything else.

"So, um… was this the plan from the beginning, then?" Wendy did her best to keep her voice steady as she spoke.

"The plan, no, a hope maybe. I kept telling myself that I was happy to just be friends. And I really meant it. But if this is really happening, I am overjoyed." Dipper said as he reached over and placed his hand over hers on the shake.

He leaned over and took a sip from the shake.

Wendy chewed on her bottom lip once Dipper's hand landed on top of hers, curling around the chilled surface of the cup. A nervous but light chuckle left her, though it sounded more like air leaving her lungs than anything else.

"Listen, I gotta apologize for being a big dumb idiot back then…" She started, knowing she wouldn't be able to go any further with this if she didn't, "I let my pride get in the way, and while you _are_ still my best friend, I also can't lie to myself about how I felt… how I _still_ feel."

"I understand. We both needed to figure it out. We were both young and I meant what I said earlier, I was happy to just be around you." Dipper said as he slipped his free hand down to his leg and pinched himself. Nope, he wasn't dreaming, this was actually happening.

Slipping his hand up to join the other one, he took her hand off of the shake and into his. "But I would be lying if I said I didn't still feel the same about you, if not stronger, as I did back then. I also meant what I said about there being no one I trust more to have my back."

'Well here goes nothing.' He thought as he gently pulled her hand towards him. Placing a kiss on the back of her hand, he then looks back up into her eyes. "So, what do you say? Would you like to go on a date?"

He thought he heard a muffled squeal from across the restaurant but right now the only thing important to him was sitting in front of him.

It felt good to finally get that off her chest, to finally confirm how she had been feeling out loud. Wendy would be lying if she said it had not been weighing on her shoulders for a very long time. Not only that, but to be met with such understanding was a very foreign yet wonderful feeling.

Wendy's cheeks finally flushed a deep shade of scarlet when Dipper's lips made contact with her skin. Her heart was pounding loud in her ears and she felt lightheaded. No one had ever been able to draw such a reaction out of her with just a kiss to her hand.

Audibly swallowing, Wendy nodded a few times before mustering up the courage to respond.

"I'd…" She smiled, "I'd like nothing more."

'Well time for the let down… Wait a minute, she's nodding. Is that a yes? That was a yes. SHE SAID YES!' He stopped himself from straight up kissing her and kissed the back of her hand again. The first kiss should be because they both want it and not because he got over enthusiastic. He wanted to kiss her of course but he did not want to force a kiss upon her, it'll happen when it happens.

"Thank you," he said as he pulled away from her hand, though he really hadn't realized how close they had gotten to each other.

He again thought he heard a muffled squeal but he dismissed it as some kids with their family or something.

"You don't need to thank me, dude." Wendy chuckled, "_You're _the one who asked me out, after all."

'Yeah, but you're the one who said yes.' Dipper thought as he took this moment to once again familiarize himself her features.

Silence befell them after that, leaving Wendy's thoughts and feelings to stir for a moment or two. She looked down at the table, - suddenly finding its surface quite interesting - before meeting Dipper's eyes again.

"Man, this is crazy." Wendy chuckled, "Here I was thinking you went and grew up on me… that you probably found someone else and all that. I'm glad I was wrong."

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "I was thinking along the same lines, though I did have an inside track to at least know at that you were still single. And he apparently 'ships' us as evidenced by the fact that he let you off to do this."

Snorting, Wendy said, "Figures."

An amused expression crossed her face when she continued, "It's good to know that he keeps tabs on my relationships. Though, I guess that just comes with the territory - everyone knows everything. Can't say I'm disappointed, though."

Once finished, Wendy put her other hand over top of Dipper's and just took a moment to look at him. She realized now that everything really must have been leading up to this moment in time, and she knew for a fact that she would have gone through it over and over again if she knew this would be the outcome.

"It's his way of showing he cares. It probably won't surprise you that nearly every person I've talked to today has wondered if I had asked you out yet." Dipper said as he relished in the fact that he was sitting here with the most beautiful young lady in the world.

Shaking her head, Wendy said, "Not at all. I'm sure we've got a pretty big fanclub at this point."

"We should blow this joint." She spoke up again after a few moments, "Seriously, I feel like I'm being watched."

At her suggestion that they leave, he reluctantly released her hands and began wrapping up the remaining half of his burger. "Yeah, I know what you mean. I keep hearing some weird noises too."

Laughing, Wendy crumpled up the empty wrapping and finished off her drink. She had always been a quick eater with a surprisingly big stomach, despite her outward appearance. It was a rare occurrence when she had leftovers.

He was about done with gathering up his remaining food when he felt his phone buzzing, apparently he had turned it to silent after the last call. He took it out and saw that it was a text from Mabel. Opening it he saw it read, 'KISS HER YOU FOOL!'

He showed Wendy the message as he began looking around the restaurant.

Wendy's green eyes widened as she read the text Dipper was showing her, and she proceeded to look around the restaurant as well. Honestly, she probably should have been more off-putt by the knowledge that Mabel had been snooping, but she found it more amusing than anything else.

"Looks like we've got an audience too." She remarked with a slight smirk as she continued to look around.

Taking a sip of the almost forgotten vanilla milkshake as he looked around, he off handily said "I have to admit, I had thinking that we might. But I didn't want to seem to forward or like I expected it. But you know my sister and 'Romance', if it doesn't seem like something out of a romcom it doesn't matter."

Another muffled comment drew his attention to the booth two slots behind him. He must have been so distracted by what was happening here that he hadn't seen them as he went to get the shakes. Tapping two fingers on the cup he quickly nodded behind him.

With a wink and the zipping of his lips, their old sign of trust me, he said. "You know what, never mind. This will never work. Maybe I should just see what Candy's doing."

"MASON PINES, YOU BETTER NOT!" Mabel yelled as she practically dragged Pacifica & Grenda out of their booth, "You know you two were made for each other. Besides Candy is still at her college for another week as you well kno…"

She stopped as she registered the smirk on Dipper's face.

Chuckling, Wendy smiled at Mabel and the two others, and then waved, "Hey, dudes. Totally not weird at all to see you here."

The entire thing had been too good, something that couldn't have gone better if it was planned. The look on Mabel's face was priceless and had Wendy laughing so hard that her stomach started to hurt.

Cocking a brow, she smirked and crossed her arms, "You still trying to play matchmaker after all these years, dude?"

"Uhm, hi Wends." Mabel said as she registered what all was going on.

Grenda waved from where she had been sitting when they got caught.

"Glad to see you two have finally figured out what has been obvious to the rest of us for a long time." Pacifica added from where she had been pulled out of the booth. "Just so you two know, this wasn't planned. Grenda came over and we decided to catch up over some food. We saw your van…"

"Microbus." Dipper interjected with a small look of irritation.

"We saw your van," Pacifica continued with a smirk, "and decided to maybe say hi."

"But you two were so lost in each other and actually flirting." Mabel quickly added. She was practically bouncing in place, she seemed so giddy at that fact. "So Paz said we shouldn't bug you, but I had to know if this was finally happening. So Grenda went up and ordered for us while we… I listened in."

Mabel rushed past Dipper and pulled Wendy into a hug, "And to answer your question Wends, always. But this time I didn't have to do so."

Eyes widening as Pacifica and Mabel started to explain, Wendy stood there with the amused look plastered to her face. She had to chuckle at the tiny exchange between Dipper and Pacifica, but was far more invested in the eavesdropping and the whole 'we all knew way before you did' tone the entire conversation held.

"Huh…" Wendy paused, as if trying to take in everything that was said. Then, with a snort, she continued, "I suppose you're right about that, Mabel." Turning to Dipper, she smirked, "Guess we really did figure that all out on our own, yeah? I mean, it took long enough."

"Well, I knew when I was twelve. Just had to wait for you to figure it out." Dipper said with a wink.

Feeling her cheeks burn, Wendy playfully nudged Dipper with her shoulder. "C'mon, man." She chuckled, though her cheeks were burning.

It was true that it was _her_ who had held the relationship back, but she had just needed time to figure out everything. While part of her wished that she hadn't been so quick to completely shut down the possibility of a romantic relationship with Dipper, there was another, far more rational part that was telling her she needed time. As someone who had always been one to jump into relationships that ended in heartbreak sooner or later, perhaps this was just her subconscious way of telling herself that she needed to take things at a slower pace.

Dipper slipped over next to Wendy and slid his hand into hers. "Believe me, you were worth the wait."

Returning the smile, Wendy interlocked her fingers with Dipper's and then gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "I'm glad." She responded.

"Aaaw," Grenda murmured around a mouthful of fries.

Turning back to the others, Wendy said, "Still, it's good to know Dipper's got his wing-women at his beck and call."

"Wing-woman?" Mabel said as she left Wendy's side and hugged Dipper, "Wends, what kind of sister would I be if I didn't meddle in my brothers love life sometimes."

"You're right. He's lucky to have a sister like you." Wendy nodded with a smile, and then she snorted, "I guess it's just a new concept to me, since I'd straight up pummel my brothers into the ground if they _ever _tried messing with my relationships."

"I dunno Wends, I remember you helping me some when I tried setting up Candy and Kevin the last time we were in town. And look at them now." Mabel said with a smile and a wink.

Gawking at Mabel, there were several seconds of stunned silence before Wendy let out a few chuckles. "Aw, man… but see, that's _me_ messing with _his_ love life, not the other way around. I am obligated by law as an older sister to do that kind of stuff. That's my reward for putting up with the little varmints all these years."

"Yeah, you're right. We older sisters do have to meddle in the love lives of the young'uns." Mabel said with a smile and a friendly wink.

"It's only by five minutes Mabel." Dipper sniped back at his sister. "As it was I remember having two people coming to me at different times to tell me about their feelings for each other. And when neither of them followed my advice of just talking about it, well it took our apartment building's elevator to 'breakdown' to get them to figure things out."

Dipper had done the airquote with his free hand. Mabel's shocked face told it all.

A look of surprise crossed Wendy's face when Dipper dropped that very interesting piece of information. She never would have suspected he would be the type to do something like that, but she supposed that having a twin like Mabel made him predisposed to having a streak of meddling in his DNA.

"What? You think you're the only one capable of this stuff." Dipper said with a smile. When it looked like Pacifica was about to say something, "Don't worry, you two were never in danger. I made sure of that, unlike when Mabel did it to me & Wendy a few years ago."

Then, when Dipper mentioned what Mabel had done to the two of them years ago, an amused look stretched across Wendy's features. It was a pretty bad situation, _terrifying_, even, but she wouldn't have changed anything that happened that day.

"You know what, I was about to get upset but I can't argue with the results." Pacifica said as she hugged Mabel and then gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"You two are also actually the _cutest_." Wendy declared emphatically, "I'm glad you guys got together. Honestly, now that I've seen you two together for myself, I think it woulda been a crime if you didn't."

Then, turning to Dipper, she raised an eyebrow. "Dude, I gotta say," She said playfully, "I didn't think you had it in you to do that type of thing. Guess I'm learning a ton about you today, huh?"

"Well I certainly hope that you like what you're learning." Dipper said with a squeeze of her hand.

Nodding and returning the squeeze to her hand with one of her own, Wendy smiled softly. "Of _course_, dude." She replied.

"Yeah, guys are cute together too." Pacifica said before gently turning Mabel back towards their table, "Now Mabel dear, our food is getting cold. Let's let your brother and his date get on their way."

Then, she turned back to Pacifica and Mabel. With a wave, she said, "I hope you guys have a good rest of _your_ date! It was great to see you two again."

Looking at Dipper once the two had returned to their table, Wendy chuckled, "Y'know, I had a feeling I'd see your sister today."

After Mabel & Pacifica returned to their table, Dipper grabbed a shake off of the table and took a sip. "I was hoping to get a day with you to myself, but it's Mabel."

As he offered Wendy a sip he asked, "Well the day is still young. Do you want to go do something else?"

"Yeah, why not?" Wendy smiled, tilting her head to the side.

Then, taking the shake for herself, she proceeded to take a generous sip. "You got any requests?" She asked, handing it back to Dipper once she was finished, "I'm up for pretty much anything."

"Hmm," Dipper said as he took another sip to give himself a moment to think.

"Well let's see. We could go to the lake, or maybe take in a movie, or even go bowling." He visibly winced as he said the last one, after remembering his faux pas from that first summer. He should have just offered his shoulder back then and never suggested bowling, but he was young and ignorant. "You know what, let's just hop in the microbus and see where it takes us."

Nodding, Wendy said, "Hey, man, it couldn't hurt to just drive around for a bit. Isn't like we have anywhere we need to be."

With that said, she started on her way out of the restaurant and gestured for Dipper to follow. It was about time they blew this joint, anyway. There was too much attention being brought to them for her liking, especially from the other patrons who had nothing better to do than gawk like they were watching a circus act.

The price one pays for living in a small town like Gravity Falls.

Dipper grabbed the other shake and rest of his burger. He took a bite of it as he waved bye to Mabel and the girls.

He swallowed and said, "Well we'll see you guys tomorrow."

He tossed the rest of the sandwich in his mouth and threw the wrapper in the trash as he passed it.

Getting back into the microbus, Wendy found that she was becoming a little more used to being in the driver's seat, which in turn made her confidence levels spike. In fact, she had been looking forward to getting back behind the wheel the entire time they were inside eating.

"There isn't exactly a lot we can do around here," She chuckled, "but you already knew that. It's alright, we just need to get creative."

When he got to the microbus he hopped in. He dropped the shakes in the cup holders and threw his belt on.

Reaching over be gently grabbed Wendy's hand, "Alright beautiful, let's head out."

A faint but pretty shade of pink danced across her face when Dipper spoke to her, referring to her as 'beautiful', of all things.

Wendy tried to keep her cool as she started the vehicle and backed out of the parking lot, checking the mirrors to make sure she wasn't about to hit anyone. That was the _last_ thing she needed right now.

"Aw, shucks." She chuckled, giving Dipper's hand a gentle squeeze, "That's pretty darn sweet of you, dude."

Dipper's cheeks warmed at squeeze. He really still couldn't believe that this was happening. He was actually was actually dating Wendy, the girl he has been in love with since he was twelve.

"Well you know me well enough to know that I wouldn't say it if I didn't believe that it was true." He said before kissing her hand. Then he let go of it so that she could use it to drive.

With a flourish he said, "Alright Wendy, let's go. Second star to the right, and straight on till morning."

Smiling, Wendy turned her attention to the road and pumped the gas. Turning out of the parking lot, she allowed Dipper's words to replay in her mind over and over again. This certainly wasn't something she would soon forget.

"Somehow navigating these old, boring roads is a _lot_ better with you." Wendy declared, "Can't say I'm surprised, though."

"I know how you feel, just about everything is better when I'm with you." Dipper said as he took in the sight of her silhouette as she drove.

Pausing for a moment, a thoughtful look crossed her face.

"Y'know, now that I think about it, going to the lake sounds cool." Wendy said, keeping her eyes on the road, "It's kind of a staple of being here, right? What do you say?" She asked, tilting her head to the side in order to look at him out of the corner of her eye.

"That sounds great." He replied. As he caught her eye he added with a wink, "Though I got to warn you, Ford hasn't made the microbus amphibious yet."

"Aw, man," Wendy feigned disappointment, "and here I was all excited to take it for a spin in the water."

He chuckled at her response, it fit her to a tee.

It did not take long at all for them to get to the lake, and soon enough, Wendy was pulling into a makeshift spot on the sand. Thankfully, no one was around, but even if they were, she knew that they wouldn't care.

If anyone had asked him how long it took to drive to the lake, he wouldn't have been able to give an honest answer. He was too lost in the moment, being with her. And he didn't even realize that they had arrived until she said something.

Unbuckling her seat belt, Wendy shot a glance to Dipper. "Well?" She cocked an eyebrow.

Shaking himself out of his introspective haze, he unbuckled his belt and turned towards her. "Hmm, I don't have much in the way of inflatables but there is a blanket and maybe some towels in the storage compartment. We could lay it out and take in the scenery. I don't have my trunks or I'd suggest a swim."

He pause and took a drink of the strawberry shake before offering her the last of it. "Or we could see if Tate has the boat rental open and go for a float."

Taking the shake from Dipper, Wendy was quick to finish it off with a nod and a smile. "Hey, man, just chilling sounds great to me. It's beautiful out there and honestly, I think I'm good to take things down a notch."

With that said, she opened the door and hopped out of the microbus. She was quick to find a nearby trash can in order to throw out the now empty cup.

Then, returning to Dipper, she flung some of her long hair behind her shoulder and smiled. "Now, about that blanket." She started, "I figure we can set up just a few feet in front of the microbus, yeah?"

"Sounds good," Dipper said as he opened up the side door and climbed into the van motioning Wendy to join him.

Feeling for and finding the latch, be released the seat from its mooring and flipped it up. On the driver's side was a small cooler. The passenger side and the rest of the space was full. On the back wall was the ax and machete he had mentioned earlier. Mabel's grappling hook was fastened to the outer wall, while the saber was attached to the bottom of the seat. There was a lantern flashlight with what looks like a reversible lens cap. A digital and a polaroid camera fastened next to the cooler. There was also a laptop strapped to a tray on some type of arm. Finally in the center was a duffle bag that seemed to be full, two blankets, and some towels.

Following Dipper into the side of the vehicle, Wendy allowed her green eyes to scan the area momentarily before turning back to him. Her eyes widened when she saw the spread, a look of disbelief mixed with delight written all over her face.

Whistling, she nodded in approval.

"This is amazing, dude." Wendy said, continuing to let her gaze wander, "You have everything you could ever need in here… everything any _one_ of us could ever need. You guys really didn't cut any corners with this one, huh?"

He pulled out a green tartan blanket and said, "Well, what do you think?"

Then her eyes finally settled on the blanket Dipper was holding, she said, "Perfect. Totally on brand." with a little chuckle.

"Well Ford did set up the Microbus as a portable hq if we need it. And he said something about making sure I had a trailer hitch, so who knows what he has planned." Dipper said with a chuckle as he hands the blanket to Wendy. "And I'm glad you like it. That was my purchase for the set."

He then motioned to the seat along the wall, "And the other seat here can fold out as a bed for two."

Realizing the accidental implication he had just made, he went red. "Oh, uhm. I meant for if we need to crash while in the field, or camping, or something like that."

Green eyes widening when Dipper tried to save himself from that little slip up, Wendy let out a chuckle as she clutched the blanket in her arms. "You work fast, huh?" She winked, "Didn't take you for a guy like that… but I guess you've always been the type to 'get the job done', huh?"

Spinning on her heel, Wendy turned back to him only to say, "Let's just chill out for a bit first, yeah?" with a smirk tugging at her lips.

Then, Wendy jumped out of the microbus without another word. She was snickering under her breath, totally knowing the weight her comment held. Honestly, she would be lying if she said she didn't take joy in how easily she could mess with Dipper.

'Hold on wait, what did she just say. She didn't really think I meant it that way.' Ran through a red faced Dipper's mind as Wendy turned to exit the Microbus. 'Wait a minute, what did she mean by that? Chilling first, then what? Am I in over my head, nah I know she wouldn't put pressure on me. She must be teasing me.'

He did have admire her as she exited. Once she was out, he turned back and grabbed on of the towels. Then he quickly shut and latched the storage compartment. Looking out he was transfixed for a moment as he caught a glimpse of her.

Making her way towards the lake, Wendy chose a spot a good few feet in front of the microbus to lay the blanket down. In truth, they could have set up anywhere since they had the beach to themselves, but she figured it would be best not to stray too far.

He couldn't help it, he stood and watched her as she arranged the blanket. He subconsciously pinched himself again, how'd he ever get so lucky.

Hoping out of the microbus he folded the towel width wise and rolled it up. He shut the door and walked up next to her, "I figured we could use this as a pillow if needed."

Finishing spreading out the blanket, Wendy nudged the corners in place with the tip of her boot and lifted her gaze when Dipper came up beside her. Shooting a smile his way, she nodded, "Sounds good to me, dude."

With that said, she knelt down onto the blanket and smoothed out a few of the wrinkles. Once she was satisfied with her work, she sat down with her legs stretched out in front of her, leaning back on her arms for support.

When she was done, he placed the towel behind her and sat down next to her. He finally took in the scenery around them.

Humming in approval, Wendy said, "This was a good idea." as she looked out at the calm expanse of water in front of them.

"Glad we came out before fishing season started. Nice and peaceful." He said with a smile.

Then realizing what he had said he looked around quickly to make sure he hadn't jinxed them.

"Oh yeah," Wendy nodded in agreement, "probably the nicest time to get out and about around here."

With that said, she scooted closer to Dipper while her green eyes remained locked on the peaceful water.

After he finished looking around for possible hassles, Dipper brought his focus back to the blanket. He realized that Wendy had scooted closer to him.

She kept her movements very unassuming as she lowered her head, shifting until it was resting against his shoulder. Aside from that, everything remained the same, because she wanted to keep it very casual. The _last_ thing she wanted to do was cause him any real discomfort.

'Ok, I don't remember being this close. And she's moved even closer. And I'm perfectly fine with this.' Went through his head as she laid her head on his shoulder.

"This okay?" She asked softly a few moments later.

"Nope, it's not ok." He responded. Before she could react he slipped his arm around her shoulder and placed his head against hers, "It's absolutely perfect."

Smiling, Wendy leaned closer and nuzzled her head against his shoulder. She usually wasn't one for all the lovey-dovey stuff, but something about being like this with Dipper was enough to change her ways.

"Good." She responded, keeping her eyes trained on the water ahead of them.

As he held on to her Dipper felt a warmth flow through him. Normally when he is with her he feels as if he could take on the world, now though that feeling was a pleasant memory. Now he feels like he could take on Bill with both hands and one leg tied behind him.

Then, another thought crossed her mind as she stared out at the lake with her head resting against Dipper. She did not speak up for a bit, instead letting the thought linger for a moment.

"Somehow _this_ feels natural, y'know?" Wendy declared when she finally mustered up the courage to speak, "I dunno… I always thought I knew everything there was to know about myself, but I'm not sure about that anymore."

"It does, it feels like us." He gently hugged her tighter. Lifting his head up for a moment, Dipper leaned down and kissed the top of her head.

"Yeah… that's a great way to describe it." Wendy nodded, that smile still plastered to her face.

A faint shade of pink danced across her face when Dipper kissed her head, and she tore her gaze away from the lake for a moment. Looking down at her worn boots, she remained silent as she just took everything in.

'Well I hope I didn't just over step my boundaries, but that felt right.' Dipper thought as he sat there admiring the scenery, though not the same one she was studying. He was pleasantly surprised that he was able to see beautiful shade spread across her cheeks as she seemingly found something new to look at, her eyes shifting focus to something else.

Then, ever so slowly, she brought up her own arm to wrap around Dipper's waist, fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt.

He had just started to shift his own gaze when he felt her arm slip around him. 'And it looks like I may not be the only one.'

He pulled his phone out of his pocket, flipped to a playlist of songs they used to listen to, and turned it on low. Mainly so they could have some ambient music.

"I hope you don't mind. Let me know if it bothers you." He said as he leaned his head back on hers.

A fond look took residence upon Wendy's face as the playlist started, a wave of nostalgia passed over her. For a moment or two, she didn't give Dipper a verbal response and instead just listened to the music, letting it fill the air around them.

He wondered for a moment if he had made a mistake and almost reached to turn off the music, then Dipper noticed the warm look. He relaxed and allowed himself to enjoy the moment.

"I don't mind at all."

With that said, Wendy cuddled up closer to Dipper whilst letting out a sigh of contentment. It was just what they needed right now.

"Good to hear," he responded softly as she pulled closer. He could think of no place he would rather be at this point.

After that, the silence remained between them for quite some time, with the only sounds in the general vicinity being the soft music from Dipper's phone and the gentle sound of the water lapping at the shore. At some point, Wendy had closed her eyes and was just taking in those sounds; visuals not really holding the same impact as before. However, when she _did_ open her eyes again, she pulled away ever so slightly to look at Dipper.

She was still feeling giddy, but also somewhat anxious about the entire thing. The last thing she wanted to do was mess this up, to fall back into her old ways and drag arguably the best person in her life down with her.

After a bit, Dipper felt Wendy pull away. He figured that maybe she just needed to adjust herself. They had been sitting together for awhile. He was proud of himself, for once He wasn't anxious about if he had done something wrong. They were good.

So, playing it safe, she leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Dipper's cheek. Her eyes shut again, light eyelashes brushing against her freckled cheeks as her hand came up to cup the other side of his face.

See she was leaning back into it now. And now she was kissing his cheek. He may never wash that cheek again. He felt a warmth anew spreading through his face as her free hand came up and pressed against the other side of his face.

'Her eyes are closed and she is turning me towards her. Man I hope I'm not misinterpreting this!'

Closing his own eyes he leaned in and kissed her.

Lips tugging upwards once she felt the lips against her own, Wendy felt that warmth turn into a burning sensation on her cheeks. The hair on the back of her neck prickled as her knuckles ran across his jawline, returning the kiss with vigor.

'Well I definitely didn't misinterpret it.' Was Dipper's last thought as he lost himself in the kiss.

The music was still playing, but Wendy hardly heard it or even cared in that moment. Instead, she was just focused on what she was doing and _who_ she was doing it with.

He brought his free arm up around her waist and turned to fully face her. The euphoric feeling flowing through him caused his senses to focus only on her lips.

With that arm around her waist, Wendy found herself inching closer whilst her hand snaked to the back of Dipper's head. Her fingers gently laced into his dark locks while their lips remained pressed together, wanting to feel as much as him as she possibly could.

Dipper vaguely felt her hand on the back of his head. He enjoyed being pressed against her, feeling almost as if they had become one.

Regrettably, however, Wendy soon had to break for air and pulled back, red-faced, with an incredibly bright look on her face. Her green eyes were sparkling in the natural light, long hair spilling over her shoulders, and a few messy locks had fallen into her face.

Offering a smile his way, her fingers continued to play with the hair at the back of his neck. There were a few moments of silence while she gathered herself, before she spoke again.

"Well? How was that?" A little chuckle escaped her while she cocked an eyebrow.

When she pulled away it took him a couple of seconds to even breathe, he had been so lost in the moment. Once his eyes opened he nearly lost his breath again, Wendy was so beautiful.

"Error 404 not operational," he said with a straight face. Then he softened and with a smile said, "Actually it was absolutely wonderful."

Again, Wendy laughed, though it was louder now that the moment had passed. "Dude, you're hilarious." She grinned, hand dropping down to rest on his shoulder.

And there was that laugh he has loved for so long. He had been worried that he had went too far but he knew her sense of humor and thought she would like it.

"I'm glad, though… 'cause I'm in complete agreement."

"Glad to hear, so I guess it wouldn't be to out of place to ask for another one." Dipper said with a smile. "Either way this has already become the best day of my life."

"Not at all."

With that said, Wendy leaned in again and kissed him again. This time, the kiss was shorter, but held more confidence. Now that she knew this was okay with him, she didn't have to worry about crossing any boundaries.

The second kiss, while shorter, was just as sweet. It filled him with a longing to ensure her happiness, to help her escape from everything that she considers mundane. Then it hit him. He had already done that, hopefully, when he had invited her to help him continue the Stans' work. The fact that they will now be doing it as a couple is a bonus.

It was only after pulling away that emotions started resurfacing, and Wendy couldn't help herself as she pulled him into a hug. She buried her face into his shoulder with a deep sigh, eyes shutting tightly.

Wendy wasn't the best with emotions, she never had been. With all the failed relationships she had under her belt, it was no wonder she had such a hard time with this. Not only that, but this was Dipper - her best friend, one of, if not the _first_ person she ever truly felt comfortable around.

Feeling her arms wrap around him, he not only accepted the hug he returned it. He gently his head against hers and felt complete. Ever since that first summer something has always felt missing and now that he has her in his arms he knows what it was. He quickly placed another kiss on the top of her head and relaxed.

All the cares in his world faded away.


End file.
